5 things about your Grandparents you will WANT to know

Grandparents are often taken for granted, until it is too late. Here are 5 things that you should know about them that may make you pay a bit more attention.

1. They have been there and done that.

Your grandparents have lived full lives with tons of experience. Stop and listen and you may be suprised at some of the similarities your life has now. Having a problem, ask them, they can give great advice. If your grandparents are no longer with you, try Adopt-A-Grandparent.

2. They want to live in their home.

Once grandparents hit a certain age the family often suspects that they will need to move them into a nursing home. Most elderly people fear nothing more than being moved from theirhome into a "home." People need to look into all of the options before doing this. Organizations like Homewatch offer home care for elderly people and there are numerous private home nurses that can help your grandparents live where they want to live.

3. They Love You

Ever wonder why your grandparents are so excited to get pictures of you, well, they love you. They want to show you off to their friends and brag about how wonderful you are. Show them some love back, write them a letter or send them a gift. You will be the best loved and most bragged about grandchild for years.

4. Being active and healthy is important to them

When you visit your grandparents you probably often just sit and chat and then head to a not so healthy meal. Ask them to take a walk and chat, most would love the change of pace and to not be treated like they are not capable of activity. There are many ways for seniors to remain active suggest a few and then take them for a heart healthy fruit smoothie instead of those pancakes.

5. They want to learn from you

There have been many tech advances since your grandparents were your age. Instead of just assuming they don't want to learn about cool things on the internet or texting, offer to teach them. It is sure to be a fun afternoon for you both. Eldervoice is a Social Network similar to Facebook or Myspace, but it is focused to the Senior population and is a great place for elderly people to chat and make friends. You know how much you enjoy sites like that, share it with your grandparents.